Avatar: Fallen Kingdom
by manlyson
Summary: Avatar Sen has passed, and with it the birth of the Fire Nation Avatar. However, a new threat appears and before anyone knew quite what happened, the Fire Nation had collapsed. The other nations get an influx of refugees, and everyone wonders how He managed to force the collapse of an entire nation. Sorin has to grow up in a world devoid of a Fire Nation, as well as being the Avata
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to the adventures of Avatar Sorin, the firebending Avatar. Now you may be wondering, "What about the Earth Avatar? Well, you will not find that story here. No, that story is covered in Avatar: Synergy. There, Avatar Sen combats the Energybender. Beyond the fact that the story is amazing, and you should read it anyway, this story also builds off the assumption that the events in that story happened in this world. So, if you want to really understand it, then read that. That's my spoiler warning. **

**Book 1: Collapsed**

**Chapter 1: A New Era**

Sorin nudged past the people surrounding the town square. In the middle of town was a man in silken red robes, and the insignia of the Fire Nation on it. Sorin sighed, ever since the collapse of the Fire Nation, the agents of the Mystery Man has been hunting officials of the Fire Nation. No one was sure why He had a vendetta against the nation, but they were being hunted down anyway. A man in a uniform strangely reminiscent of the uniform of the Energybender's men, stood next to the Fire Nation official. Sorin listened to the man making the proclamation,

"You and your former government have subjugated the people of this land, and with this the former tyrannical government will be one step closer to extinction!"

No one in the crowd said anything, but Sorin felt his fingers heating up. Sorin took a deep breath, and breathed out, trying to calm himself,

It's not worth it, Sorin told himself. If Sorin tried to stand up for the man, he would just draw attention to himself. That was the last thing Sorin wanted, he had a sister to think about. He didn't need the Mystery Man looking for him. Sorin sighed and slowly stepped back into the crowd, as the executioner raised a sword of fire, and the cries of the Fire Nation official were silenced.

Sorin stepped into the house as Kira ran up to him.

"Sorin!" she said excitedly. Sorin smiled at her and handed a roll of bread to his sister. Kira took it eagerly and began to snarf it down.

Sorin sat down and looked at his hands. It had been a year since he had last done any firebending, and Sorin planned to keep it that way. Any firebending instantly drew the Mystery Man's attention on you, and Sorin didn't need that. Kira sat down next to him.

"There was another execution today, wasn't there," Kira whispered. She was awfully intelligent for a six-year-old. Sorin nodded,

"Yeah, Fire Nation official."

"When is the Avatar going to come and stop this?"

Sorin sighed. Only a year after Avatar Sen passed, the Mystery Man appeared and brought about the collapse of the Fire Nation. The Avatar had been born into the Fire Nation, but no one was quite sure if he had survived. The Air Nation hadn't reported a new Avatar, but that didn't mean anything. Sorin sighed and said,

"I don't know, but when he does, everything will be better. We should get some rest."

Kira smiled and Sorin led her to their room. He tucked her in,

"Love you," he said.

"Love you too."

Sorin shot up from his bed as he heard the door open. He grabbed his sword and slowly stalked towards the living room. He peaked into it, and he saw the uniforms of the Mystery Man's men. Sorin bit his lip and slowly put his sword down. He didn't need a reason for them to take him away. He stepped out from behind the wall with his hands up,

"What are you doing here?"

The men's attention snapped to him. A man stepped forward, and Sorin guessed he was the guy in charge.

"Are you Sorin?" the man asked. Sorin nodded,

"Yes, why?"

"You're coming with us?"

Sorin's jaw dropped,

"What? Why?"

"We have reason to believe your aligning yourself with Fire Nation officials."

Sorin growled, he grabbed his sword from behind the wall and drew it.

"You're going to have to kill me."

"So be it."

The men surrounded Sorin, and Sorin gulped. He saw water whips, boulders, flames of fire, and he heard the whooshing of air. Sorin knew he couldn't win, but he had to try. A stream of water was sent at Sorin, but he ducked out of the way. He stepped to the side of a boulder, but he was knocked to the ground by a blast of air. Sorin growled as he felt a wave of heat coming at him, and unconsciously he waved a hand, and felt the fire dispel. He stood from the ground to see the men looking at him in shock. The leader growled,

"He's a firebender! Subdue him!"

Sorin barely remembered the next minute of fighting. He remembered throwing a few bursts of flame, but he was overwhelmed and couldn't fight them off. He was backed into a wall when he heard it. He heard a whimpering coming from his room, and he realized just what was happening. All of the fire had caused the house to set aflame, and his sister was still in here. Sorin has to get her out, he turned to the other men advancing on him and tightened his grip on his sword. He saw everyone bring up their elements in case he tried something. One of the earthbenders raised his arms and he felt a prison of rock come up around him. The commander growled,

"Take him, and burn the place to the ground."

The first mistake of the men was not doing a background check on the boy whose house they were raiding. They just believed that the boy was harboring Fire Nation officials due to a tip someone had given them. Their second mistake was engaging him. They could've subdued him easily, but they had decided to humor the kid. Their third mistake was the commander giving the order to burn the place to the ground. What they didn't know was that Sorin's sister was here, and Sorin would do anything to protect her. The ground started to shake around them, and a cry of rage erupted from Sorin. His eyes turned into burning white lights of energy, and they realized just who they were up against. The earth prison shattered, and as streams of water were sent towards Sorin, he just waved his hand and the waterbenders control over the stream was cut off, and the water turned on their benders. Sorin raised a hand, and a massive earth wall erupted from the ground, and with a push, they were pushed towards the door, and through the wall. Sorin clenched his fist, and even though he couldn't see it, or even control what he was doing, a massive wheel of earth expanded around the men. The earthbenders tried to bend it, but found they were unable to. Sorin's eyes returned to their normal golden, and he collapsed on the ground heaving. He looked around and slowly realized what happened.

"No," he whispered, "no, no, no, no."

He muttered to himself over and over again, but saw the flames slowly spreading. Sorin growled,

Not the time.

Sorin shot up, grabbed his sword, and rushed into their room. Kira was hiding beneath her blanket, and Sorin grabbed a suitcase, and stuffed a few clothes in it.

"Come on!" Sorin yelled. Kira whimpered,

"What happened?"

"I'll explain later! We have to go!"

Kira whimpered, but stood up and slipped on shoes. Sorin heard a pillar collapsed in the living room, and he grabbed Kira. They rushed out the back door, and Sorin turned around. He saw his home slowly collapse into a burning inferno, and Sorin sighed before turning back to the open countryside. Kira hugged Sorin's leg,

"What are we going to do?"

Sorin shook his head,

"I don't know."

"How did you fight those guys off."

"I made a startling discovery."

"What was that?"

"I'm the Avatar."


	2. Chapter 2

**Book 1: Collapsed**

**Chapter 2: On the Run**

Sorin and Kira spent the next three days in the countryside. Sorin wasn't quite sure where they were headed, but now that he knew he was the Avatar he knew he had to find a firebending master. Sorin wanted so bad to throw off his destiny, but he had caught the attention of the Mystery Man, and it would just be better for everyone if he learned the elements. Sorin kissed Kira goodnight and sighed. He looked at the campfire, and pulled a hand back, and the fire flickered. Sorin released his grip on the fire, and the flames returned to normal. Sorin sighed and looked around. They had camped away from a main trail, and Sorin kept the fire small so they didn't draw attention to themselves. He slowly laid down and closed his eyes.

"He's not ready," a female voice whispered. A male voice replied,

"Neither was I, but then look what happened. He has to learn, and he will. They all do."

"I hope you're right Sen."

"Me too."

Sorin shot up as he heard the rustling of grass. Sorin grabbed his sword and stepped towards the bush that was rustling. He slowly pushed it aside, but sighed in relief as he saw it was just a rabbit. Sorin looked around and saw that the sun was rising and he slowly walked Kira. Kira rubbed her eyes as she sat up. Sorin smiled and helped her up. They set off a few minutes later. They were nearing Cleburne and they would be able eat good food. It was sixteen years since the collapse of the Fire Nation. For a while there was anarchy, but people calmed down soon enough, and a new government popped up. The Flaming Regime took the place of the Fire Nation, and for a while it was just like the Fire Nation. But the Mystery Man stepped in, and said that things would change this time around, and he basically runs the Flaming Regime. After that life mostly returned to normal, except for Him always looming in the background. Watching every move made, and making sure the old Fire Nation didn't pop up again. No one was sure why He hated the Fire Nation, but he did, and considering how he brought about the collapse of an entire nation, they didn't want to test him. Sorin saw the sign for Cleburne and smiled. He saw the town slowly coming up. As they entered a few people stared at him, but they didn't pay much mind. They were just a few people passing by. Sorin stopped by a shop and paid for some more food. They had managed to get by on what they found in the wild, but it would be so nice for actual food. Sorin asked for the nearest hotel and the old man running the stands gave them directions. Sorin stepped into the door and went up to the counter.

"One room," he said, "one night."

A woman was behind the desk. She had long blond hair, and warm brown eyes.

"One room," she said taking the payment. She handed the key to Sorin, and saw Kira behind him.

"Where are your parents?" she asked. Sorin glanced behind him at Kira and back at the clerk,

"We're sort of orphans."

The clerk's face fell, she then took the coins Sorin had given her and gave them back.

"I can't accept this," she said. Sorin shook his head,

"No, no keep it."

"I cannot accept this. Keep the coin I'll pay for your room."

This went back and forth for a minute before Sorin finally relented. He took the coin back and took the key.

"If you need anything at all tonight," the woman continued, "just ask me."

Sorin nodded, not wanting to argue.

"My name's Aurea," she said, holding out a hand. Sorin shook it,

"Sorin, and this is Kira," he said gesturing to his sister. Aurea smiled at Kira,

"Well, have a good night."

"Thank you, you too."

Sorin shot awake later that night to yelling downstairs. He grabbed his sword from under the bed, and peered out the door and down towards the lobby. He saw the uniforms of Mystery Man, and Sorin growled. He stepped back in, locked the door, and peered out the window. Satomobiles were parked outside, and several men were wandering the area and peering in stores and houses. Sorin woke Kira and slowly opened the window.

"I'm going to go first," Sorin said, "then you jump and I'll catch you."

Kira nodded, and Sorin leapt out of the window. He made sure no one was coming towards him and held out his hands for Kira.

"Come on," he said. Kira whimpered, but she leapt out of the window. Sorin groaned as she landed in his arms, but he managed to remain standing. He put her down, and they slowly started for the woods surrounding the town. Sorin turned back to the hotel and saw more men filing into it. He remembered Aurea, the sweet woman that had paid for their room, and had offered even more. Sorin stopped in his tracks as he grappled with his conscience. Finally he turned to Kira,

"I have to save Aurea, you hide in that bush, and do, not, move."

Kira nodded and ducked behind the bush as Sorin rushed towards the hotel. He stopped outside a window and peered in. He saw Aurea standing calmly behind the desk, as two dozen men surrounded her. The commander that had come after him at home was questioning her. Sorin placed his hand against the glass, and slowly raised it. He sighed in relief as it was unlocked, and didn't creak.

"-just tell us where the Avatar is. We've had reports of a man matching the description of the Avatar entering your hotel and checking in."

Aurea cocked her head,

"I have seen no man."

Sorin smiled, she barely knew him, but she was still risking her life to protect them. The commander turned to a man next to him,

"Is she telling the truth?"

The man shook his head,

"No."

The commander turned back to Aurea and said,

"Tell, me, the, truth, or we will burn down your hotel, and imprison you."

Aurea smiled smugly,

"Trust me, you do not want to mess with me."

"What could you do to us? You're hopelessly outnumbered."

"Yes, but you're hopelessly outmatched, after all, a few amateur benders stand no chance against the Avatar and a firebending master."

Sorin knew that was his chance, as he burst through the window and sent a blast of flames. The flames struck a man, and Aurea instantly released a whip of fire. Instantly another three men fell. Sorin struck at a man with his sword, sending him to the ground. He waved through a stream of fire and cut through another one. He looked to see that Aurea had already taken down another eight people. Sorin was knocked back by a stream of air, but shot back up. Sorin ducked under a boulder, and dodged a stream of water. He slid under a man, and with a swipe of his sword dispatched another one. He turned to swipe at another one, but saw that Aurea had taken care of the rest of them. The commander was the only one standing, but with a growl he closed his fist and a wall of earth erupted around him. Sorin knew that the commander was gone, so he didn't bother with him. He turned to Aurea,

"How did you know I was out there?"

Aurea smiled as she wiped some dust off her shirt,

"I've seen plenty of people like you. People that couldn't let a bad thing happen to another person, besides I could've taken them myself."

"I'm sure you could. Now next question, how did you know I was the Avatar?"

"You should check the wanted board. Word of you has traveled fast, and you've been labeled wanted. There's a poster outside of you."

"Then why didn't you turn me in? Why didn't anyone else turn me in?"

"I felt sorry for you guys, and didn't want to add anymore to your problems. They're already on your trail, and if I called you in that would've made it infinitely harder for you. As for everyone else, the people here support the Avatar. They don't really see a reason to turn you in. They can just say that they haven't seen you."

Sorin sighed,

"Well, I have to thank you."

Aurea patter Sorin's shoulder and said,

"No problem, now are we going to go or not?"

Sorin cocked his head,

"We?"

Aurea rolled her eyes,

"Please, I'm a wanted woman now. I can't stay here. You're the Avatar, and from the way you barely did any firebending, I can tell you need a master. Which I just so happen to be. It makes sense."

Sorin smiled,

"I was going to ask you anyway."

Aurea grinned,

"Good, now lets go get your sister."

They found Kira and left not long after that. They camped a mile or so outside of Cleburne. Aurea made a fire, and handed out some food. Sorin ate half of his stew, and gave the other half to Kira.

"What was it like at home?" Aurea asked. Sorin glanced at her and shrugged,

"Monotonous. My parents died three years ago and since then I've worked, gotten food, and come home. Despite having no parents, life wasn't that bad."

Aurea sighed,

"Thanks."

They were silent for a while before Sorin said,

"We should get some rest."

Aurea nodded,

"Yeah, tomorrow we start your training."


	3. Chapter 3

**Book 1: Collapsed**

**Chapter 3: Into the Inferno**

Sorin awoke early the next morning to Aurea standing over him. He groaned as he sat up.

"Up!" Aurea said, clapping. Sorin sighed and slowly stood up.

"Alright, let's start your training!" Aurea said. Sorin glared at her, he wanted to stay in his bed. Aurea led the way to a clearing as Sorin trudged after her. They stopped away from the trees and Aurea turned to him.

"Alright," she said, "show me what you got. Send the biggest flame you can at me."

Sorin breathed in deeply, and released a wave of flames. The wave was fairly big, but Aurea waved through it casually.

"Nice," she said, "but you're using fire as if it's to be used with a sword. You can use it with a sword, but first you need to learn to use it independently. That way you can fight efficiently if you don't have a sword on you. Here, get in this stance."

Aurea placed her feet shoulder width apart, and held up her open palms face him. She slowly raised herself to the balls of her feet, and started moving around.

"Stay light on your feet. Make sure you move quickly, thoroughly."

Aurea released a bolt of fire, and Sorin dodged to the side. Sorin took the same stance as Aurea, but she frowned. She dropped her stance and walked over to him. She kicked his feet slightly farther apart, and brought his arms closer together.

"Keep your feet just far enough for maneuverability, but just close enough to move quickly. It's a fine line. Keep your arms closer together to protect your core."

Sorin nodded and Aurea returned to her spot, and resumed her position.

"Alright, send fire at me," she said. Sorin nodded, and released a wave of flames.

They left a few hours later. Sorin had made huge strides in firebending, and Aurea called it good for the day. They set off again as they continued their way east.

"Where are we heading to?" Sorin asked. Aurea smiled,

"You have a firebending master," and she gestured to herself proudly, "but you still need air, water, and earth. We're going to Republic City, and we'll try to find someone from the Air Nation to help you."

Sorin raised an eyebrow, and Kira stared at the two of them strangely.

"We're going to Republic City?" the six-year-old asked. Aurea nodded, but Sorin scoffed.

"I'm the Avatar! Shouldn't I have a say in where we go?"

Aurea shook her head,

"When you master the four elements, master the Avatar State, and single-handedly re-establish the Fire Nation, then you can decide where we go. Until then, I decide."

Kira giggled, and Sorin glared at his sister. The three of them walked in silence for a minute.

"Kira," Aurea said, "are you a bender?"

Kira shook her head,

"I don't think so."

"She hasn't shown anything to say that she's a bender. And if it hasn't manifested already, then it probably won't."

They walked in silence for a moment again, before Kira said,

"Sorin, are you okay?"

Sorin glanced at her,

"I think so. It's just I don't know what to do. I don't know how to be the Avatar."

Aurea shrugged,

"Aang, Korra, and Sen didn't know how to be the Avatar. I mean, Aang was brought into a world a hundred years from the last time he remembered it, in the middle of a war. Sen had to learn to be the Avatar all while trying to evade a man who mastered Energybending. Three Avatars have done it before you, and hundreds before them, and you'll be the fourth."

Sorin sighed,

"Maybe..."

Aurea stopped and turned to him.

"Look at me Sorin. As of right now we are safe. We don't have to worry about Fire Nation soldiers, or Energybender troops hunting us. Sure, we have the Mystery Man, but he doesn't seem to have a vendetta against the Avatar. You can do this."

Sorin sighed, smiled, and thanked her.

"Where are we going?" Sorin asked. Aurea smiled,

"We're not far from Zhung fi, about a week," she said, "we'll hop on a boat and head to Republic City!"

Zhung fi was a small port town established about a year after the Fire Nation's collapse. Despite being small, it was the city that most of the boats docked at when coming in.

"Alright," Sorin said, "Republic City it is."

Each morning Sorin and Aurea would practice firebending. She was astounded by the quick progress Sorin made. It wouldn't be long before he surpassed her. His skills were put to the test two days away from Zhung fi.

Sorin, Kira, and Aurea were laying down for the day. They were chatting around the fire, and it wasn't long before Kira dozed off. Sorin laid a blanket over her, and kissed her goodnight. Sorin and Aurea exchanged small talk for a while.

"I'm going to lay down," Aurea said. Sorin narrowed his eyes, Aurea never laid down first. She was always the last one asleep, and would never allow anyone else to fall asleep after her. He saw his firebending master drumming her fingers repeatedly against her knee. The fire flickered as she exerted a small amount of control over it. Sorin observed it for a minute, and picked out a pattern. Three long flickers, three short flickers, three long flickers. S.O.S. Sorin nodded at her, and immediately Sorin ducked as Aurea unleashed a wave of flames towards the bushes. Sorin turned towards the bushes, and ducked just in time to dodge a boulder. Sorin went into his stance as six bandits emerged. They had tattered clothes, pieces of armor, and a couple of them wielded knives. Sorin narrowed his eyes, as one of them called out,

"Just give us all your money, and we'll leave ya alone."

In response Sorin sent a bolt of fire towards them. A man waved through it.

"Two firebenders ay," he said, "well boys, let's show em what we got."

In response whips of water, rocks, bolts of fire, and air blasts all came towards them. Sorin managed to dodge some of them, but groaned as a rock hit him in the chest. He heard Kira whimper, and one of the men looked toward her.

"A little girl ay? Well, how about we show this young man right here what happens when they resist us."

A bolt of fire was sent towards Kira, and Sorin stepped in front of it and waved through it. He saw Aurea's eyes widen before she smirked, and sat down, legs crossed. Sorin roared and unleashed a wave of fire. He blocked a rock that was coming at him, keeping it from hitting Kira, and hissed as a whip of water struck him. Immediately the man said,

"Get ready boys, all of us on three."

Sorin stood there, trying to protect Kira.

"One," the man said, as the bandits readied their elements.

"Two," Sorin widened his stance, as Kira gripped his leg.

"Three!"

Sorin saw a flurry of air, water, earth, and fire before his world went black.

Aurea heard Kira scream as a ball of elements engulfed the two. Aurea contemplated on helping, but she knew Sorin could handle this. The main thug turned to her,

"Well, now that those two are no more, maybe you should hand over the money."

Aurea smirked cockily,

"I think you'll find this fight is far from over."

The main thug stared at her confused, before he turned to the ball of fire, and saw it being parted. Sorin slowly pushed his hands apart, his eyes closed. The other elements dissolved. One of the earthbenders growled, and sent a rock at him. Sorin held up a hand, eyes still closed, and the rock halted in midair.

"What?" the guy who shot the rock asked. Sorin slowly opened his eyes, revealing balls of burning white light.

Sorin stomped on the ground, and earth prisons gathered around the bandits. He slowly closed his fist, and the prisons began to tighten. He raised a hand, and the puddles of water around him rose up, and with a flick of his hand it solidified into ice around the prisons.

"Leave," Sorin said, except he spoke with the voice of many, "leave us, and never bother us again. Or I will find you."

He waved his hand and the ice shattered, and the prisons lowered. The bandits stumbled away, squealing in fear. Aurea saw Sorin's eyes return to normal, and her protégé collapsed to the ground. Kira, who was unharmed, squeaked as he collapsed against her.

"You okay?" Aurea asked Kira. The little girl turned to Aurea, her eyes sparkling,

"That was awesome! Did you see him? They were like 'give us all your money' and he was like 'never' and then his eyes turned white, and he was like boom, bam, bang, and they were like 'ahh' and started running away. My brother is the coolest!"

Sorin groaned and slowly sat up.

"What happened?" he asked. Kira giggled and shook him,

"You went glowey-eyed and you were like 'not today' to those guys. You were awesome!"

Sorin rubbed his temple,

"I used the Avatar State?"

Sorin groaned,

"Did I hurt either of you?"

Aurea shook her head,

"No, in fact, Kira was engulfed in a ball of fire with you, and she's completely unharmed."

Sorin raised an eyebrow,

"That's cool."

Aurea nodded,

"Yeah, it was."


	4. Chapter 4

**Book 1: Collapsed**

**Chapter 4: Welcome to Zhung fi**

The three of them set off the next morning after the daily lesson. Aurea noticed that Sorin was making leaps and strides in his firebending training. In just a few weeks he would be ready to move onto airbending. It might be because fire was his natural element, but Sorin was a natural firebender. The three of them got to Zhung fi without anymore interruptions. The town was very small, but it was packed to the brim. They saw people from the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribe, and even a few from the Air Nation.

"Hey," Aurea said, "we could find you an airbending master here."

Sorin glanced at her,

"I haven't even mastered firebending yet. Why do I need an airbending master."

"You've made huge strides in firebending in only a couple weeks. We could start you on airbending, and when you finish firebending you'll already have the basics."

Sorin let out a deep sigh,

"Okay, but who would want to go with us?"

"You're the Avatar! People would pay you to travel with you!"

None of them noticed a young Air Nomad stop. He glanced at the trio that just passed him.

"Huh," he said, "the Avatar."

"Look," Sorin said, "let's just find a room for the night and worry about a ship in the morning."

Aurea grinned cheekily, before leading them to a pub. Stepping inside, Sorin wrinkled his nose as the smell of vomit mixed with alcohol pierced his nose. Aurea gestured to a table,

"Go sit down, I'll get us a room."

Sorin led Kira to a table, and they sat down.

"What do we do next?" Kira asked him. Sorin shrugged,

"I don't know. Honestly, I'm just going with what Aurea says."

Aurea sat down a moment later.

"We've got two rooms for a few nights, and access to a bending facility. So while we wait for a boat, we can get your firebending refined."

Sorin stood up,

"No time like the present."

Sorin and Aurea faced each other, each in their stances. A few other people in the gym were training, not paying attention to the two of them. With a thrust of her fist, she sent a bolt of fire. Sorin sent a stronger bolt of fire, blasting through her bolt and zooming towards her. She ducked, spun on her hands, and released a wave of flames. Sorin pushed his hands apart, making a path and rushed forward. Jumping up and coming down on the mat, his palm hit the ground, sending a wave of flames at her. She jumped up, sending a bolt at him. He stepped to the side, countering with another bolt. Aurea stepped towards him, sending several blasts at him with quick, precise, strikes. Time seemed to slow down for Sorin, and briefly he wondered if he would enter the Avatar State again. Yet, something seemed different.

When Sorin went into the Avatar State the first time, it felt like his consciousness was pulled from his body, and he observed as his body did everything. When he went into the Avatar State the second time, his vision just went black, and the next thing he remembered Aurea was helping him up. This was different though, time slowed down for Sorin, and he felt every gust of wind, every change of direction, he saw openings he didn't see in the heat of the moment. With one step forward, he turned on his feet and stepped to the side. Ducking under one, he waved through a bolt of fire. He swiveled around another one, and threw his hands forward. Sorin meant to release a burst of fire, however, the wind changed, and a wall of wind slammed into Aurea. She groaned as she fell down. Time seemed to return to normal for Sorin, as he realized what he just did. He airbent, without going into the Avatar State. Aurea stood up, her eyes wide.

"Sorin," she said, "you, just..."

Several people in the training area halted what they were doing.

"Did he-"

"Airbend?"

"Is he the Avatar?"

"It can't be."

Sorin looked up at her, a grin spreading across his face. He felt it now, he felt the door unlock, and with a quick punch, a burst of air flew towards Aurea, followed by a ray of fire. Aurea rolled out of the way, a grin spreading across her face.

"Alright Sorin," she said, "you want to do this, let's do this."

Sorin sent a air burst, followed by a fire ball. Aurea dodged the air strike, waved through the ball, and retaliated with her own fire bolt. The duel continued for several minutes, it slowly drawing more and more spectators. For the first time in sixteen years, people were seeing the Avatar in action. With each burst of wind, Sorin felt a pull on his gut. A pull that hadn't been there before. He almost heard someone whispering in his ear, someone that seemed vaguely familiar. It could've been one of the past Avatars, but Sorin wasn't sure. And at this moment, he didn't care. For the first time since he had met her, he had evened the playing field with Aurea. For the past several days he had been playfully mocked, made fun of, poked, and prodded. Sorin knew it was all in good fun, but he still wanted to get back at her. Sorin let out a final roar, and threw a bolt of fire, as Aurea did the same. The two bolts met in the middle, canceling each other out. In a flash, both had their hands, in blades motions, at each other's throat. Both were heaving as they recovered from ordeal, yet they were both grinning.

"Draw?" Sorin asked. Aurea nodded,

"Draw," she agreed. They let their hands fall to their sides, and for the first time Sorin noticed the huge crowd around them.

"Can I help you?" Aurea asked. Nobody said anything,

"What, this the first time you've seen the Avatar?" Aurea said. Sorin glanced at her,

"You know for a lot of them it probably is. Sen spent a lot of his time in the Earth Kingdom."

"I didn't ask for your opinion Sorin."

A little boy from the front raised his hand, and timidly said,

"Does this mean you're going to kill the Mystery Man?"

Sorin winced,

"I don't know yet. As of right now I haven't even mastered firebending, my native element."

"Looks like you mastered it to me," a random guy from the crowd said. Aurea glared at him,

"I'm his firebending master. He masters it when I say he masters it."

Aurea glanced at him,

"But yeah, you do have everything down pretty good."

Sorin stared at her strangely.

"What?" she asked. Sorin kept staring at her.

"What?" she asked again. A small smile crossed his face as he turned away from his friend.

"So if you mastered firebending does that mean you move onto airbending?" a random guy asked. He was bald, had the tattoos of an airbending master, and had his arms crossed impatiently. Sorin stared at him strangely,

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm an airbending master, I figured you could use one."

"And you are?"

"How could I forget, my name's Raymond."

Sorin stared at him,

"And you're sure you're a master?"

Raymond pointed to the arrow on his head,

"Does this answer your question?"

Sorin found himself tapping his foot,

"If you are willing to teach me, then I'll let you teach me."

Raymond grinned,

"Perfect."

He stepped forward,

"Training begins now!"

Sorin felt a burst of wind slam into him, and he fell to the ground. Aurea chuckled,

"I like him."

Sorin collapsed on his bed. Even after his breakthrough in airbending, Raymond had demolished him in each fight. Yet he made strides in airbending much faster than even in firebending. Sorin closed his eyes, intending to rest his eyes before getting up to take a shower. However, the exhaustion of the last few days hit him, and before he knew it, Sorin was asleep.

"Sorin," a female voice said. It didn't sound like Aurea or Kira. Sorin glanced around, noticing that his surroundings were completely black. In front of him, he saw a woman in Water Tribe garments, with her dark brown hair pulled into a ponytail.

"Korra?" Sorin asked. Korra smiled,

"Hey Sorin."


	5. Chapter 5

**Book 1: Collapsed**

**Chapter 5: The Avatars of the Past**

"Why have you contacted me?" Sorin asked, "Why now?"

Korra sighed,

"There comes a point in every Avatar's life where they have to make a connection with their past lives. I mean, for you it's just me and Sen, seeing as Vaatu severed my connection with Aang and anyone before."

"So, why this time specifically?"

"Sorin, right now you're kind of wondering. Granted that's not a bad thing in different circumstances, but in your current circumstances you have to have a mission. I'm here to help you."

"But why? I don't have anyone chasing after me, I don't have a bounty on my head so large that every bounty hunter in the world is looking for me. I don't have a strange man who's mastered energybending chasing after me."

"The Mystery Man, whoever that is."

"He's not chasing after me!"

"Then why did they chase you to Cleburne?"

"I don't know, but they haven't chased me since."

"How do you know? How do you know you haven't stayed ahead of them."

Sorin groaned in response as he realized that she was right.

"Okay, what am I supposed to do?"

"Master the elements, master the Avatar State, defeat the Mystery Man, and reestablish the Fire Nation."

Sorin groaned in response to Korra's demands. Korra stared at him, waiting for him to say something.

"What do you want me to do then?" Sorin asked. Korra put a hand on her hip,

"Start training with the intent to defeat the Mystery Man. Master the Avatar State."

Korra looked like she was about to say more, before her brow furrowed.

"Really?" she asked, "Now?"

Another moment of silence, with Sorin staring at her in confusion. Korra sighed,

"Sen wants to talk to you."

Korra disappeared, and in her place stood a young man. Green eyes, brown hair, and a lean figure.

"Hello Sorin," Avatar Sen said. The Earthbending Avatar smiled at his successor. Sorin smiled and they shook hands.

"Nice to finally meet the man that killed the Energybender."

Sen frowned,

"I didn't really kill him. He pretty much killed himself."

"Like suicide?"

"Not really, but that's not the point. Look Sorin, Korra may've been harder on you than she needed to be, but she has a reason. She had to exist alone in my subconscious for decades, and when I finally died I moved in. Then, the Fire Nation collapsed, and she became more irritable than normal. More like her teen self."

"I thought you guys didn't know about the outside world beyond what I see."

"It's a little more complicated than that. For about nine months, you were still growing, and we couldn't learn anything from you. So, we learned things from spirits. At least that's the gist of it."

Sorin raised an eyebrow,

"That seems complicated."

"It's really not, you'll get it when you die."

Sorin sighed,

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I'm here to offer you wisdom. The Fire Nation was an old nation. It still used a monarchy up to it's very last day. But it was also a nation integral to the balance of the world. There is a reason there have been four nations for so long, and there is very little change. The Flaming Regime is under the direct rule of the Mystery Man, and he wants to make sure nothing of the Fire Nation is repeated. He burnt the scrolls, banned books, destroyed movers, it's a very bad thing to do. Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"I can't tell you what to do, this isn't my world anymore. Korra can't tell you what to do, it isn't her world anymore. Despite what she says. If you had access to Aang's spirit, or anyone else they would tell you the same thing. This is your fight, we will be here for guidance, but we can do only that. Guide you."

"Then what do you think I should do?"

"Master the elements, master the Avatar State, and go from there."

Sorin stared at Sen, and smiled,

"Thank you."

Sen smiled back,

"You're welcome."

Sen disappeared leaving Sorin alone. He waited for a moment to wake up. However, consciousness never came. His surroundings were still complete darkness. Sorin waited, and waited, but nothing happened. Until, a small blue light appeared in front of him. It slowly expanded, taking on a humanoid shape. It revealed a man with long black hair, and deep copper eyes. Sorin felt something stir inside of him, he recognized this man, someone he lost connection with two lifetimes ago,

"Wan?"

Sorin stared at the first Avatar in shock, wondering how,

"I thought Avatars lost connection with their past lives?"

Wan shook his head,

"For a time, I was. However I was bonded with Raava. Raava was weakened when Vaatu tore her spirit from Korra, and attacked her, her connection with me, as well as all of the Avatars after me was severed. However, Raava eventually began to heal, and thus your connection to your past lives."

"So, eventually I'll have access to all of my past lives?"

"No, it took me decades to reform. It would take all of the other Avatars centuries."

"So, a little bit."

Wan nodded,

"I have no knowledge to bestow upon you. I don't know enough, I just want to inform you, if you ever need me, I'm here."

"It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back."

Sorin bolted awake, breathing heavily. He looked out the window, it was morning. Sorin leaned against the back of his bed, breathing heavily. He had made contact with three of his past lives, when he should've only had two. He had mostly mastered firebending, and was already moving forward in airbending. He looked down at his hand, and began to clench it. As he unclenched it, a small flame appeared in his hand. Sorin held up another hand, and a small gust of wind extinguished the flame. He sighed in relief, for a moment he feared he had dreamt learning airbending. Sorin placed his face in his hands, before he let out a deep sigh. He pulled his legs into a lotus position, and set with his knuckles together in a traditional Airbender meditation form. He looked inside of himself, and he felt his consciousness falling, not in a falling asleep way, but he was actually falling through lairs of his mind. He stopped, and he saw the place where he contacted Wan, Korra, and Sen. He fell deeper, and there he felt the light spirit Raava, and despite the next Harmonic Convergence still being thousands of years away, he already felt the darkness of Vaatu. Very small, but it was still there. He fell even deeper, and he hit a wall. It was almost like he was looking in a mirror, he saw himself, but his eyes were glowing balls of white light. Sorin knew that behind this wall, lay the limitless power of the Avatar State. Sorin felt his consciousness return to the normal world, and he opened his eyes. He smiled,

"I guess I'll become a pretty good Avatar after all.


End file.
